Rubber mat.



1101293231 PATENTEDJUNE-2y1903. w. J. ELLIS.

RUBBER-MAT.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 6, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Tm. i.

J3 i //A CL ATTEET.

m: Nbkms vz'rsns co, moraumq. WASHINGTON. o. c.

i atented Tune 2, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. ELLIS, OF AKRON, OHIO.

RUBBER MAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 729,923, dated June 2,1903.

Application filed March 6,1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. ELL Is, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Rubber Mats; and I dodeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, which willenable oth-- ers skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to rubber mats for steps, stairs, floors, and otherpossible uses; and the invention comprises a mat or matting providedwith separate and removable studs, blocks, or parts set or mounted in aprefer- I ably sheet-1n etal base or support, all substantially as shownand described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a matmade in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of aportion of the base and of one of the studs or blocks therein. spectiveview of one of the studs or blocks alone.

As thus shown, A represents a base or supporting part, which ispreferably of sheet metal and which may be of galvanized iron or othermetal prepared or finished in a suitable way and in whichare formed aseries of holes or openings (1 by punching, stamping, or otherwise andof any desired shape, such as square, round, diamond shape, or the like.They are square in this instance. Into these holes I set the rubberstuds or blocks B. These are of somewhat peculiar formation, whichespecially adapts them to my use, and are shown as having a broad bottomportion 2, flat on both sides, which comes wholly beneath plate A andconstitutes the rest or bottom of the mat or matting, and a top portionconsisting of a head 4, which comes wholly above plate A and in thestyle here shown has a flat rectangular top surface and beveled Fig. 3is a per-' Serial No.146,566. (No model.)

a. good proportion and is satisfactory in use. Head 4 is furtherdistinguished by having a. cavity 5, open from beneath through bottom 2and which contributes to its cushioning or elastic efiect; but thiscavity may be omitted. A neck 6 is shown as extending about thesaidcavity next above bottom 2 and which connects the head with saidbottom, and in a sense there is a slot about-said neck separating headand bottom and making. room for plate A. This construction enables me tocollapse or compress the head more or less to button or insert itthrough opening ct in sheet A and in like manner to remove said studswhen necessary. The said studs are made and sold-as an article ofmanufacture apart from the mat, because they are designed to be replacedwhen they become worn. This is especially desirable when the mat is usedon stairs or steps, in which case the wear comes mostly at the middle ofthe mat, and the middle portion thereof will be worn down when the endsare comparatively good. such cases I remove the worn studs and replacethem with new ones, and for this reason they are kept in stock bydealers. They may be of any desired color and also be set into the platein any preferred design to get the most pleasing eifects, and I may usesuch colors in working out any pattern or design for which the mat maybe fashioned.

The sheet-metal support or connecting member A may, if preferred, beperforated between the holes or openings a, and the invention may beembodied in a mat, as shown, or as matting serving for an entirefloor-coving, and, in fact, it may be used for any purpose for which itmay be found useful here or there in one form or another, and the edgesof the mat may be finished in any desirable way.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A mat comprising a suitable sheet-support having aseries of openings, and a corresponding series of studs engaged throughsaid openings, said studs having fiat bottoms on one side of the mat andheads on the other ity open from beneath, substantially as deside partlyoverlapping the sheets about said openings, and cavities in the bodiesof the scribed. studs open from below, substantially as described.

5 2. A rubber stud for floor-mats and the like having a flat bottom anda head separated Witnesses: therefrom by a slot beneath the outerportion JEFF LEESER, of said head, and the said head having a cav-FOREST FIRESTONE.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification this 24th day ofFebruary, 1903.

WILLIAM J. ELLIS.

